(Re)Emerge was the title of this year’s fashion show by students at Istituto Marangoni Mumbai, as well as the 3rd consecutive annual student show by the Mumbai school, now in their fourth successful year of activity in India.

Enhancing local creativity while staying true to its Italian roots, Istituto Marangoni Mumbai renewed its commitment to support young talent by staging a unique post-pandemic virtual fashion show.

The event was called (Re)Emerge as a tribute to the student’s resilience from multiple lockdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in India as well as around the world: after a challenging 1.5 years, we emerge again, only stronger. The show celebrates life, the elements, the senses, beauty, identity and individualism.

Designed by 21 second-year students, the collections not only celebrated their personal and professional journey at Istituto Marangoni Mumbai, but also the concept behind (Re)Emerge. The collections tapped into the students’ feelings and perceptions of reality during quarantine and isolation, touching on key themes including mystical atmospheres, human subconscious and imagination, psychedelic moods, futuristic dystopias, existentialism and the planet, loneliness and self-discovery, sometimes striving to bring a sense of optimism in dark times.

Fashion students who designed pieces for the show included:

• Sachi Bhasin, with the ‘Boogie Wonderland’ collection, inspired by psychedelic moods, 70s wallpapers and futuristic utility dystopia.
• Taarini Anand, with ‘How I discovered the World is a Lie & Other Stories’, addressing existentialism, the planet and Earth theories.
• Meghana Kiran, with her ‘Untitled’ collection inspired by existentialism and early 2000’s games
• Ayushi Shah, who sees the world through the eyes of Micropsia, Macropsia and Metamorphopsia in her ‘Blissful Ignorance’ collection.
• Bhoomika Lokanagowda, who brings a new, noisy, bright and optimistic vision of fashion with her ‘Glimmer’ collection.
• Ameya Lonkar and her ‘Moon Fairy’ collection, evoking imaginary mystical worlds through the lenses of human sub conscious and imagination.
• Simran Arora with ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream’ collection, exploring Shakespeare's romantic play in a futuristic context.
• Vedica Jain with ‘Predictive Perceptions’, a collection that questions reality though subconsciousness and the designer’s dystopic perceptions
• Vritika Sethi and her ‘Year 4000’ collection, with clean and sharp shapes inspired by a futuristic, technologically advanced world.
• Keshvi Agarwal, who evokes Morocco and its rich cultural heritage in her ‘A Mile a Minute’ collection.
• Nayanthara Biju and her ‘What Next’ collection, a journey to self-discovery and awareness.
• Isha Kothari, who explores reality through utopian and futuristic worlds in her ‘The Dystopian Paradise’ collection.
• Vanshika Mittal with ‘Roots of Futurism’, a collection that brings nature, architecture and technology together, with a futuristic feel.
• Sana Krishna with the ‘Salt’ collection, inspired by ‘salt’ as a symbol of life that extends into the concepts of desire, pleasure, power and pain.
• Nilofer Khan and her ‘Warfare’ collection, which taps into Hoysala architecture and goddess-inspired drapes
• Zahrah Riaz Sheikh with ‘Afterlight’, an all-black collection with a few white pieces as a symbol of hope and optimism
• Maitreyee Dhananjay Nimbalkar with ‘Embrasser Piégé’, a tribute to embracing and enjoying life in any situation
• Nirmal Subodh Shinkar and his ‘Solitune’ collection, a reflection on the designer’s experience of loneliness and change through the pandemic
• Vedashree Bhole with ‘Treasures of Bali’, featuring the essence of culture and art in Bali
• Apoorva Patil with ‘Atrocious’, a collection that reveals how the decaying, poisonous and ugly can still be beautiful
• Sakshi Mungad, who gets into the boho, hippy spirit and lifestyle with ‘Bohemian’.

Mevin Murden, Director of Education at Istituto Marangoni, Mumbai said “our students and tutors worked extra hard this year and we wanted to give them a worthy finish, embedded in an empowering message for all of us.”

“Istituto Marangoni Mumbai’s 2021 student fashion showcase – (Re)Emerge – spotlights the creativity of our 2nd-year students through their 21 collections. This year more than ever, these are the result of a reflection by each designer on the unprecedented year that the fashion industry has gone through and continues to adapt to, due to the drastic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The collections by these talented students are filtered through and influenced by the unique point of view and brand-new expressive language of Gen-Z, to which our students belong” said Mr. Tarun Pandey, COO at Istituto Marangoni, Mumbai.

As a backdrop for the runway, the school chose Great Eastern Mills, one of Mumbai’s most stunning venues, and worked with production company Magnanimous, Indra Joshi as Director of Photography, Nishanth Radhakrishnan as photographer, and artist Deveshi Sahgal for a special live performance.